How To Install a Chimney Liner

It is easy to install a stainless steel chimney liner and a chimney liner insulation kit by following these instructions, How to Install Chimney Liners the Easy Way!

Proper installation of rigid chimney flue liners and stainless steel flex chimney liners is critical; insulation is also highly recommended and is possibly required in your local code.
Read the information below for more details... And please feel free to contact Rockford with any questions!

Ok, let's get started:

Preparing the liner for installation
Remove the liner from the packaging and straighten it out on a flat surface.
Attach the bottom termination connector (tee or appliance connector). Tighten the hose clamp on the connector to the liner. Do not over tighten.
Find the exact length of the liner needed by measuring from where the bottom termination will stop to the top of the chimney crown. Add one foot. Now cut the liner using a saws or a good heavy duty pair of tin snips. Be cautious as to not leave jagged pointed edges on the liner. Make sure to leave a clean edge (for safety reasons).

Insulating the liner using insulating blanket wrap
Make sure the bottom termination connector is installed. The liner should be insulated all the way to the bottom of the connector.
Determine the length of insulation needed and cut.
The insulating wrap must overlap along its length by a minimum of 1 inch. To ensure you have the proper width of insulating wrap multiply the liner diameter by 3.14 plus 1 inch for overlap. You may trim the width of the insulation to this amount but is not necessary. If the overlap is more than 1 inch you may have difficulties with clearance.
With the foil side of the insulation facing the ground, lay it out on the ground.
Set the liner in the center of the insulation.
Begin wrapping the insulation around the liner leaving at least a 1 inch overlap on the seam. You can use the spray adhesive to help keep the insulation in place. Use the foil tape to secure the seam at 1 foot increments.
Once the insulation is in place lay one continuous vertical length of foil tape on the seam.
Now unroll the wire mesh and encapsulate the full length of liner including the bottom connector. The stainless steel mess protects the insulation wrap from damaged as the liner is place in the chimney flue. Use the provided hose clamps to secure the mesh to one end of the liner. Now on the other end of the liner, pull the wire mesh until it retracts and fits tightly on the liner. Use the provide hose clamp to secure the mesh on the pulling end. Cut away excess mesh.
The liner is now ready to install.

Installing the liner
Make sure you have the available manpower in order to handle the liner. Always make safety precautions when doing any work on the roof.
Some installations may require you to use a rope connected to a pulling cone or directly to the bottom connector. A second person may be needed to pull the rope from the bottom or top of the chimney while the person on the other end roof guides the liner down the chimney.
Keep the liner centered in the chimney opening to avoid causing damage to the insulation and/or liner.
Once the bottom connector or top connector has reached the desired position, cut the top of the liner if required. Be sure to add 4 inches to the height that is equal to the crown.
Completing the top termination
With the bottom connector held in place- put a heavy bead of silicone caulk around the chimney crown or top of clay flue tile. Place the top plate over the liner and press firmly into silicone caulk.
Tighten the quick connect clamp / band around the liner. This secures the liner to the top plate. Optional: The Top plate flashing has four pre drilled holes, which can be used to screw the top plate to the crown with tap-con screws.

Install the cap by fitting it over the collar of the top plate. Tighten the hose clamp band of the cap onto the top plate collar. Your top termination is now complete.

Completing the bottom termination
Locate the point where the connector pipe / removable snout will pass through the chimney wall to the tee body. Or if connecting vertically simply connect the appliance connector to the the liner and bottom termination point.
If insulated - cut away a hole in the insulation and mesh where the tee snout will connect to the body of the tee if using a tee vs a vertical connection. If using a vertical connection this step will not be required and you will need our liner kit with the appliance connector vs a T & T Cap.
Secure the snout to the body of the tee using the attached metal band, which wraps around the backside of the tee body.
If insulating and you have our kit with the Tee & T Cap wrap the snout of the tee with insulation.

Fill in the hole around the snout with brick and mortar
Complete your connection to the heating appliance following all applicable codes.

Congratulations, you have successfully completed installing a flexible chimney liner!

More facts and tips
The liner protects the house from heat transfer to combustibles. In the NBS tests, unlined chimneys allowed heat to move through the chimney so rapidly that the adjacent woodwork caught fire in only 3 1/2 hours.
Liners protect the masonry from the corrosive byproducts of combustion. In the tests it was determined that if the flue gases were allowed to penetrate to the brick and mortar, the result would be a reduction in the usable life of the chimney. The flue gases are acidic in nature and literally eat away at the mortar joints from inside the chimney. As the mortar joints erode, heat transfers more rapidly to the nearby combustibles and dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide can leak into the living areas of the home.
Liners provide a correctly sized flue for optimum efficiency of appliances, keep in mind the fuel source / heating unit dictates your what sze your flue should be. The existing flue in most cases does not detrmine the liner you require. Your chimney was not built to the size of the unit you are most likely planning on venting into your chimney. Your chimney was built to the size of what ever it was intended to be used in conjunction with years ago. For example if you have a masonry fireplace and now you are planning on using that chimney for a wood burning stove. The current flue size of the chimney most likely is to big for the wood stove, it was built to specifications of the original brick fireplace, not a wood burning stove with a 6 or 8 inch exhuast. Modern wood stoves, fireplace inserts, pellet stoves, gas furnaces, wood boilers, oil furnaces require a correctly sized flue to perform properly. The chimney is responsible for not only allowing the products of combustion a passage way out of the house, but the draft generated by the chimney also supplies combustion air to the appliance. An incorrectly sized flue can lead to excessive creosote buildup in wood burning stoves, and the production of corrosive acids and carbon monoxide with conventional fuels.
While most replacement chimney liners are installed by pulling up from the top of the chimney up, some require you pull the liner down from below. A pulling nose cone can be attached to the top or bottom of the liner, and the liner is pulled or winched up the chimney through the smoke chamber. Sometimes the liner needs a little coaxing, and you may have to play with it depending on the pathway in your flue. See our specialty's page for pulling cone options.
Caution: Metal edges can be sharp; make sure to wear protective gloves when handling the liner and liner components. Also make sure your chimney has been cleared of all debris before installing the liner.